After seven years in business and five years in Denton, independent bookstore Patchouli Joe’s Books and Indulgences will close at the end of March, according to a Jan. 2 announcement on the company website.

The details: The announcement cites low sales, higher costs and structural changes in the area, like a loss of convenient parking for customers, as factors in closing the store.

“None of us truly knows what may happen but we do know that we cannot continue in our current location, the first Denton home of Patchouli Joe’s,” the announcement stated.

Some background: Owners Joe and Diane Mayes originally opened the shop in Leander in 2019, per previous Community Impact reporting. The company relocated to Denton in 2021.

• Closing in late March
• 221 W. Hickory St., Denton

Pizza restaurant Zio Al's Pizza & Pasta is expected to open a new location in January near the University of North Texas, a company representative said.

The details: The business offers pizza, wings and pasta, and the location will be open from 11 a.m.-3 a.m. for dine-in, delivery or pick-up orders, according to its website.

Customers can build their own pizzas or select more than a dozen specialty pizzas, such as pepperoni Alfredo, gyro lovers or spinach ricotta.

• Opening in mid-January
• 1607 Eagle Drive, Ste.101, Denton

Dallas Love Field Airport will be gaining a new restaurant this month, though an opening date has not been determined, said Lauren Rounds, the external communications and marketing manager for the airport. 

A joint restaurant containing IHOP and Applebees will be located on the public side of the terminal, between the Transportation Security Administration screening area and the baggage claim hallway, she said. 

The diner will be where the former Bruegger’s Bagels was located, which closed in August, Rounds said. 

8008 Cedar Springs Road, LB 16, Dallas

Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe has been acquired by a Dallas-based restaurant group less than three months after company officials filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. M Crowd Restaurant Group, which is the parent company of Mi Cocina and Vaqueros among other eateries, announced the acquisition of the restaurant brand Dec. 30.

“Razzoo’s has been part of the dining landscape for more than 30 years, and we believe deeply in its roots and potential,” M Crowd Restaurant Group CEO Edgar Guevara said in a news release.

The specifics: Razzoo’s was founded in Dallas in 1991 and has grown to a portfolio of 20 locations in two states. The restaurant’s menu features a variety of Louisiana-inspired Cajun and seafood dishes including fried catfish, etouffee dishes, crawfish, gumbo and more, according to its website.

Diving in deeper: While the business’s website previously listed 20 locations of Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe, the acquisition announcement noted that 11 locations will remain open. The locations remaining open include one in Concord, North Carolina, as well as 10 in Texas.

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• University of North Texas Denton